French Toast Casserole

12 slices of bread cubed into chunks.
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 heavy cream, half & half, or 1 (15 oz) can of evaporated milk
6 eggs beaten or 1 pint of egg beaters
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla
Topping (optional)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans or 1 packet of instant maple/brown sugar or apple cinnamon oatmeal

1. Cube bread and place in a gallon sized freezer bag
2. In a mixing bowl mix together the eggs, milk, cream(or half & half or evaporated milk), cinnamon, vanilla till well blended.
3. Pour egg mixture into freezer bag over the bread cubes. Seal bag and gently shake to mix bread and egg mixture together. Set aside to make the topping.
4. In a quart sized freezer bag place all the ingredients for the topping. Seal bag well. Squish the bag for a few minutes to mix together all the topping ingredients:
5. Place both the Casserole bag and the topping bag together in a 1 gallon freezer bag and seal . Lay flat in freezer to freeze.
6. Place frozen bag into the refrigerator the night before you want to bake it.  In the morning. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.  Fill dish with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the topping in little plops of  crumbles over the egg mixture. (optional).
7. Bake at 350 degree's for 45-50 minutes or until it is golden brown and egg mixture is cooked through.  Serve in bowls with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

By Elisa Hadley

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts

By Jonis Parr

Chicken Pot Pie

1 cup cooked cup up chicken 
1 cup cooked sliced celery
1 cup cooked sliced carrots
1 cup cooked potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cooked chopped onion
3 packs of gravy (2 cups)
1 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
Pillsbury Pie Crust deep dish

Seasoning for the chicken:
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp pepper
dash of salt

Boil the vegetables so they are soft but still tender. Bake the chicken at 350F for 15-20 minutes make sure you cut into chicken to double it is done.
Mix the vegetables and chicken together. 

Make gravy as per packet instructions add bouillon cubes and fully dissolve. Stir onion powder and celery salt in. Pour over meat and veggies lifting with fork to let gravy run through. Don’t make gravy too thick.  (I found that it might be easier to mix the gravy and vegetable mix in a separate bowl before putting it in the pie shell.
Cover pie bottom with pie top. Cut slits in pastry top. 
Bake at 400F for 30 minutes or until heated through and light brown. 

By Alyssa Bell

Ribs

Baby back pork ribs 

Seasoning Rub

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Place each rack of ribs on a double layer of foil; sprinkle rub all over ribs. Wrap rack individually and cooking pan.

2.       Bake ribs until very tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours for baby backs. Carefully unwrap ribs; pour any juices from foil into a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup; reserve juices (if you choose to use with the bbq sauce or discard the extra juice. 

3.       Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Add broth or water to rib juices, if needed, to measure 1 1/2 cups. Whisk in barbecue sauce to blend.

4.       Grill ribs, basting with barbecue sauce mixture and turning frequently, until lacquered and charred in places and heated through, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut between ribs to separate. Transfer to a platter and serve with additional barbecue sauce.

5.       ENJOY!!

By Shauna Harris

Honey-Soy Chicken Drumsticks

8 chicken drumsticks
3 tbsp of honey
5 tbsp of soy sauce
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish
2 scallions, chopped, for garnish
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger together in a large zip lock bag. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal. Place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Bake 

Grill or preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil then coat with cooking spray.

Lay chicken on the baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a cooked through. Brush the remaining marinade over the chicken every 10 minutes.

Sprinkle some fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, and green onions on top and serve with Garlic Rice with Green Onions and Cilantro.

By Adrea Sosville